Emperor

The good news is you can rent a retail space on your own and open a shop.

The bad news is you can't do it legally. But I suspect you already know that.

Your business will be too small to get a license to employ foreigners. So you would have to do it on a non working visa. And if you done that you would spend your time worrying about getting a knock on the door.

If you had a Chinese husband/wife you could do it if your partner was the boss and you did not actually work there.

Governor

In 2013, I started a retail store selling ladies' fashion. By the end of the year, I had four stores. Let me tell you my experience.

1. Look around for stores that are looking for someone to takeover. The takeover fees varies according to the traffic. It can range from 5000RMB to a few hundred thousand. Obviously, the higher the traffic, the larger the takeover amount. You will need to bargain like mad to push the fees down.

2. The rental will also depend on the traffic. Rents run from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

3. License to operate is usually provided by the landlord so there is no problem.

4. To ensure that you are legal, you need to register your business. I chose to register it under the FIPE program. This requires a Chinese partner. The start up capital can range from RMB50,000 to RMB100,000 depending on the mood of the officer on that day of registration.

5. You can get an F visa and your residence permit AFTER you've successfully registered your business. This can take up to 6 months. Check out this website http://www.pathtochina.com/reg_pe.htm. The cost of this service range between RMB20,000 to god knows what depending on which agency you choose. As a rule of thumb, the bigger and more well known the agency, the more expensive it gets. Choose one that fits your budget. I spent RMB20,000 with one in Shenzhen.

6. China is one gigantic factory so finding products is the least of your worries. The problem is WHAT kinds of quality you want. You will need a lot of research on the target market you intend to serve. Garments, cosmetics and accessories flood the markets in Guangzhou. You can google this easily. Unless you can identify your own unique selling proposition, you will end up being one of the regular stores selling everything that everyone is also selling. Of course, if you can sell branded goods at a lower price then you will get a queue outside your store. The drawback is that customers tend not to believe that branded goods can be sold at discounts unless they are fakes. Fake products in China is a huge business. Some are so good that even staff at the real stores are unable to identify them.

7. Renovation is relatively cheap compared to your home country but the quality is also sub standard. You will have a hair tearing experience. I can almost guarantee it. I leave this for you to find out.

8. Hiring staff is easy. Everyone wants a job, any job. Retail staff go for RMB1,800/month. You need to pay commissions ranging from 3% to 5%. There is also tax, medical insurance and social security payments. Your registration agency will be able to tell you.

if you are still reading this, then you must be very keen to start but I must say that it was a very frustrating one year I had although it was profitable. You won't get holidays, no breaks and local tax people check on you to ensure that you issue fa piao about 4 times a month. If your paperwork is not in order, they can shut you down.

I finally sold my share to my partner after opening the fourth store. The money is there but it's a long hard road to take. You get 4 hours sleep a day. Local authorities hassling you, workers don't turn up for work, partner's wives getting involved with the business, their friends demanding stupid discounts and the like. You get the picture.

So if you are game enough to wade through all that, then I wish you all the best!

Forward Question

A: Going to HK would be the best bet I reckon, especially if you were loo

A:Going to HK would be the best bet I reckon, especially if you were looking for a church wedding. Chinese weddings are pretty grim IMO - you go to a barren govt dept with souless officials and navigate red tape so some guy can give you a red stamp and a marriage book. You get expensive pictures taken of you both posing in places you'd never go to in everyday life that is somehow supposed to represent your wedding, then a while later it's off to a restaurant where a game show host kind of guy makes sure it's as tacky as possible while the guests eat as fast as they can so they can leave as soon as they finish eating and gave you money. Hell, I'd go to Thailand or the Philippines and get married in Paradise. -- Stiggs